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Raiders like view from top101205 prepstars11Athens Banner-HeraldWhen the smoke cleared at Red Raider Stadium last Friday night, Madison County found itself in an unfamiliar position as the top team in Region 8-AAAA.--> Raiders like view from top By Chris J. Starrs | Correspondent | Story updated at 8:13 AM on Wednesday, October 12, 2005 When the smoke cleared at Red Raider Stadium last Friday night, Madison County found itself in an unfamiliar position as the top team in Region 8-AAAA.

Madison County's 21-7 win over Habersham Central enabled the Red Raiders (6-1, 5-1 in 8-AAAA) to rise to the top of the region, but their tenure there could be short-lived as they face defending region champion Salem (5-2, 4-2 in 8-AAAA) at 7:30 p.m. Friday. Madison County is seeking its first postseason appearance in 23 years.

The Seminoles, coached by Frank Caputo, are one of five teams tied for second place in the region.

A victory over Madison County on Friday likely gives Salem the inside track for a second consecutive league crown as the Seminoles close out the regular season against Jackson County and Eastside, which are a combined 1-13.

"This is a very critical game," Madison County quarterback Jarrod Owens said. "This will probably be one of the hardest, if not the hardest, game we play all year. Salem is hungry; they beat Habersham Central two weeks ago and had last week off, so they're healthy and they want to get that No. 1 spot in the region back."

It's possible that if the Red Raiders falter down the stretch, their playoff hopes could rapidly diminish. Madison County closes out its regular season with a return trip to Conyers next week against Rockdale County (4-3, 4-2 in 8-AAAA) and a home finale against Cedar Shoals (4-3, 3-3 in 8-AAAA) on Oct. 28.

"We're telling the players that there's no guarantee we'll make the playoffs," Madison County coach Randell Owens said. "We're in first place, but there are six teams in contention and only four get to go to the playoffs.

"Now that we're in sole possession of first place, everybody's nipping at our heels. Every week when you line up, there are no guarantees. We're 15 seconds away from being undefeated, but we could just as easily be 3-4."

The Red Raiders opened their region schedule with relatively easy wins over Jackson County and Eastside, but fell 28-22 to Heritage on Sept. 16. Since that last-minute loss, Madison County has beaten Loganville by three points in double overtime, Clarke Central by one point and Habersham Central by 14 points.

Salem's two region losses have come against Cedar Shoals and Clarke Central, and the Seminoles have recorded wins over Heritage, Rockdale County, Loganville and Habersham Central..

A victory over Salem would put Madison County in the region driver's seat, but there's little question that the Seminoles would love to help themselves and upset the Red Raiders' playoff plans at the same time.

"If we win, I'd say we have a 90 percent chance to reach the playoffs, but that's a big if," said Randell Owens, who coached at Heritage before coming to Madison County in 2004. "Salem won the region last year and went to the Georgia Dome, so they've done this before.

"And they've got all their players back at full speed. They'll be bringing their 'A' game."

Running a wing-T offense, Salem will no doubt look to put fullback Kyle Allen to optimum use. Allen missed several games, including losses to Cedar Shoals and Clarke Central, due to nagging injuries, but he's expected to return Friday against Madison County.

"Their fullback is probably the best in the region," Randell Owens said. "He's strong and has a low center of gravity but he can easily break away in open space. But if you tighten things up and worry only about him, then you'll fall for a misdirection play, and they've got some very capable receivers.

"If you cheat on run support, they'll run play action and it's a quick six points."

Recognizing that Salem might consider Friday's contest as essentially the region championship game, Jarrod Owens said the key to staying in the playoff hunt is to remain unruffled in the face of adversity.

"I'm just going to have to stay calm when stuff happens, and it will happen," he said. "None of us can panic. I've got to distribute the ball, either through our triple option or by throwing it. We'll use whatever works to get the job done. We want to keep everybody in the game and we want to keep moving the ball."

Madison County fullback Jamey Rice agreed.

"As long as we keep working hard, we shouldn't have any problems," said Rice, who rushed for 150 yards and three touchdowns against Habersham Central. "If we do what we've been coached to do, we'll be fine. I'm not looking too far ahead - I'm only concerned with Salem. But reaching the playoffs is what we really want to do."